22.9.16

See Faces Of Two Men Arrested By NDLEA At Lagos Airport For Possession Of Cocaine

The Agency recovered 700 grammes of powdery substance that tested
positive for cocaine from two suspects during the inward screening of
passengers on a Royal Air Maroc flight from Sao Paulo, Brazil through
Casablanca, Morocco.
The suspects inserted seven wraps of cocaine each weighing 350 grammes into their alimentary canals to evade arrest.
NDLEA commander at the Lagos airport, Ahmadu Garba gave the names of
the suspects as Okonkwo Francis Okechukwu, 44, and Ifedigbo Chinedu
Lucky, 37. “Preliminary investigation revealed that both suspects
planned and executed the unlawful act together. They inserted seven
wraps of cocaine each into their bodies weighing 350 grammes” the
commander stated.
Okonkwo Francis Okechukwu said that accepting to smuggle drugs due to frustration and as a means of returning from Brazil.
According to Okonkwo,

“I was stranded in Brazil, where I worked as a waiter in a
restaurant for two years. Life was awful as I was struggling daily just
to feed myself. When I was contacted to smuggle cocaine to Nigeria, I
was very happy because it was an opportunity to return home. My sponsor
also promised to pay me half a million Naira with which I had planned to
start a business”. He is married with two children and hails from Enugu
State.

Ifedigbo Chinedu Lucky who had also spent two years in Brazil described his arrest as ill-luck.

“I am a business man. I import female shoes from Brazil
since 2014. This arrest is just bad luck for me because I was already
calculating my profit from the deal”the 37 year-old suspect stated. He is single and hails from Anambra State.

Chairman and Chief Executive of NDLEA, Muhammad Mustapha Abdallah
said that the Agency will not relent in the fight against drug
trafficking. “NDLEA is committed to the fight against narcotic
production and trafficking. Brazil is a source country for cocaine and I
am glad with the high level of vigilance on the route resulting in
several arrests and seizures.
It is however sad that the suspects could insert narcotics into their
alimentary canals in utter disregard of the health consequences. The
suspects will be arraigned soon” Abdallah stated.